Roman martyrology: Lay man in the Archdiocese of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Martyred by Communist partisans.

Beatification Date: 13 June 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Lojze Grozde was born, an illegitimate child, on 27 May 1923 in the village of Gorenje Vodale, Slovenia. When he was four, his mother married, but his stepfather kept the boy away from his mother as much as he could. Because Lojze was a good pupil at school, the stepfather changed his attitude and allowed the boy to stay at the house, where an aunt, helped by some benefactors, took care of him.

The lad became an outstanding student in secondary school, where he also became a member of Catholic Action and the Marian Congregation. Towards the end of his secondary schooling, World War II was approaching. The young man sought his path in life through meditation and learning, in deep prayer, and in apostolic work for others.

During his summer holiday in 1942 he did not go home. The increasing violence in Europe rendered travel difficult. It was not until New Year 1943 that he decided to visit his relatives and asked for a permit to travel home. First he visited a friend in the village of Struge. On 1 January 1943, he attended Mass in a local monastery, received Holy Communion, then travelled by train as far as Trebnje, where destroyed rails stopped his progress.

Continuing his journey on foot, he obtained a ride in a cart as far as Mirna. Here, he was seized and interrogated by a partisan guard. On him were found a copy of The Imitation of Christ and a booklet on Our Lady of Fatima. This was enough to condemn him as an informant – of what, who knows? – and he was tortured and killed.

Towards the end of February that year, his fate was partly revealed. School children picking snowdrops found his corpse. Although there were traces of torture on his body, the corpse itself was incorrupt. Lojze’s body was taken to a nearby town where a report was prepared. He was buried at the cemetery in Sentrupert because the difficult circumstances made it impossible to bury him in his hometown.

Blessed Lojze, may teach us how to be true disciples of Jesus.